Archive for November, 2018

By Jim Walker on Wednesday, November 28th, 2018 | Comments Off on What Investments Will Prosper When the Trade War is Resolved?

As the G-20 summit approaches, many are hopeful that a scheduled meeting between the leaders of the USA and China will result in at least a temporary truce in the evolving trade war. Our take on this is that there are long-term, core issues that the USA needs to have addressed and which China does not want to talk about. So, the question for investors is, what investments will prosper when the trade war is resolved for good or for ill? But, first here is a bit of background on the trade war.
Possible Truce in Trade War?
The New York Times […]

By Jim Walker on Monday, November 26th, 2018 | Comments Off on How to Find Value Investments Offshore

As the bull market in stocks ages, US investors are rolling over their investments from a focus on growth to a focus on value. They are also looking offshore for foreign investment opportunities. Some choose to combine the two approaches, but how do you find value investments offshore? CNBC reports that Morgan Stanley is looking offshore for value and where to put your money for the next year and they specifically suggest Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Peru, and Poland.
Underpinning the bank’s preference for stocks in emerging markets is an expected stabilization in growth in those economies in 2019, while expansion […]

By Jim Walker on Wednesday, November 21st, 2018 | Comments Off on How the Reverse Wealth Effect Will Change Your Investing and Your Investments

The US stock market is entering a correction mode. There is a lot of speculation about whether this is a short-term buying opportunity or a longer term meltdown that will wipe out years of gains. Ideally, investors should use fundamental analysis of intrinsic stock value and technical analysis trading signals as guides, to buying and selling stocks, bonds, real estate and other investment vehicles. But, human nature being what it is, we invest more aggressively when the market goes up and pull back faster when the market goes down. A part of what is going on today is a reverse […]

By Jim Walker on Monday, November 19th, 2018 | Comments Off on How Should You Invest Your Retirement Accounts?

According to a recent article in Market Watch the folks who have buying up stocks faster than anyone else in the last thirty years are those making family incomes of $42,000 a year. Why is that?
What’s changed since 1989? Access did.
Specifically, access to workplace retirement savings plans, like 401(k)s, and personal investment accounts, like IRAs.
Individual retirement plans in the USA hold about $9 Trillion and 401(k)’s hold about $5 Trillion. The entire US stock market has a capitalization of about $30 Trillion. And, since so many of us now have these tax-deferred vehicles, how should you invest your retirement accounts?
Long […]

By Jim Walker on Wednesday, November 14th, 2018 | Comments Off on Why Do Signals Help You Make Smart Investing Choices?

Making smart investing choices is the key to making a profit and avoiding losses. But, how do you make smart choices? What analysts do you listen to and when do you follow the herd versus being a contrarian? There are signals that seem to occur in every market situation. But, why do signals help you make smart investing choices?
Avoiding the Twin Demons of Fear and Greed
When the value of an investment, like a stock, is going up, it is easy to become greedy. And, when the value of that investment starts to fall, it is easier to become fearful. These […]

By Jim Walker on Monday, November 12th, 2018 | Comments Off on Why Is There a Flight to Quality Investments?

The US stock market is down a bit as investors are flocking to quality stocks, as reported by CNBC. What is going on? Why is there a flight to quality investments?
Both before the market’s October sell-off and in the two-week bounce, investors have shown a clear preference for “quality” stocks.
Not the same as cheap “value” stocks, these are companies with less debt, stable businesses and some defensive characteristics in a tougher market or economy.
A grouping of such companies by Citi surfaced the likes of Walmart, McDonald’s, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Amgen and Quest Diagnostics.
While not predictive in itself, this pattern […]

By Jim Walker on Thursday, November 8th, 2018 | Comments Off on Reward and Risk in Alternative Investments

The point of investing is to make a profit. Some folks are happy to stay a percent or two ahead of inflation and simply not lose any of their hard-earned money. And others would prefer to multiply their holding every few years. How do you find success in making more money and not taking on more risk? One of the approaches that have worked is to pool assets and then invest in a broad range of more risky but better paying alternative investments. In regard to reward and risk in alternative investments, we would like to look back a few […]

By Jim Walker on Monday, November 5th, 2018 | Comments Off on Trade War Damages Investments in Agriculture

Over the years much of American agriculture has become a highly leveraged and high cost of entry business. How the trade war damages investments in agriculture is compounded by these facts. A recent article in The New York Times focuses on the loss of soybean markets in China due to the trade war and the damage that is doing to North Dakota soybean growers. Many investors have never visited, much less worked on, a farm or have any idea about how US agriculture has changed over the recent decades.
Mechanization and Consolidation of US Farms
The Midwestern USA is one of the […]